The president of Montana State University announced Friday two key components in a search for a new leader at Havre’s university.

President Waded Cruzado said an 18-member search committee which will review candidates for the position of Montana State University-Northern’s chancellor has been appointed, including representative’s of the university’s students, faculty and professional staff, as well as community members, and a representative of the state’s tribal colleges.

Cruzado said the members of the committee have the best interests of Northern’s students in mind, and will perform well in the search process.

“I'm confident we will have an impressive group of finalists from which to choose Northern's next leader," she added.

Cruzado also said the Washington, D.C.-based university-executive search firm Academic Search Inc. has been hired to assist in the search.

Chancellor Frank Trocki and Cruzado announced last month that he will be leaving Northern at the end of June. Trocki was appointed in June 2009.

Joe Callahan, former provost at Northern who is coming out of retirement to act as interim chancellor during the search, will co-chair the committee with Doug Steele, vice president for external relations at MSU.

The committee members are: Northern Professor Greg Clouse, representing the Faculty Union; Northern Associate Professor Norton Pease, representing faculty and department heads; and Northern Professor Larry Strizich and Associate Professor Lanny Wilke, representing faculty.

Associated Students of Montana State University-Northern President Paul Tokarski will represent the students. Stacey Gonsalez, director of admissions and recruiting, and Jane Stuart, administrative associate at Northern will represent the university staff.

Shauna Albrecht, executive director of the MSU-Northern Foundation, and Brent Reber of the Credit Bureau of Havre will represent the funding foundation.

Lorren Schlotfeldt of the Northern faculty will represent the MSU-Northern Alumni Association, and Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie Vandeberg will represent the Havre community.

Havre Public Schools Superintendent Andy Carlson will represent the K-12 education community and Fort Belknap College President Carole Falcon-Chandler will represent the tribal colleges, while Montana State University Billings Chancellor Rolf Groseth, who served as interim chancellor at Northern while the search was conducted for Trocki, and Montana State University-Great Falls Assistant Dean of Student Services Judy Hay will represent MSU.

Jennifer Joyce, assistant to the MSU vice president for planning, will serve as the search committee secretary.